Over 300 Islamic State militants killed in Hawija offensive: Commander

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Over 300 Islamic State militants have been declared to be killed as the Hawija Operations Command announced accomplishing targets of the second phase of operations.

“Federal Police, the rapid Response forces, the third and fourth brigades of al-Hashd al-Shaabi [Popular Mobilization Forces] accomplished its targets of the second phase of operations in Hawija,” Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah, commander of Hawija Operations, said in a statement on Saturday.

In another statement by the Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell, Yarallah said, “troops killed 385 IS members, including five snipers, and arrested six others. 95 booby-trapped vehicles and 422 explosives were defused. 20 rest houses were destroyed.

150 villages in Hawija were freed, in addition to al-Abbassi region and the northern side of Hawija, the statement said. Huge amounts of weapons were found, 10 tunnels and five telecommunications centers were destroyed. 240 civilians were evacuated.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi declared on Thursday liberation of Hawija. The second phase of the offensive was launched in late September.

According to Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell, 557 IS militants were killed, while more than 100 villages and regions were liberated during the first phase, which launched on September 24th.

Having recaptured Hawija, Iraqi troops still have only western Anbar’s towns of Rawa and Qaim remain under the militant’s control.